GAPearl's Second Valor Review- Solo Southern Caribbean Cruise! (2/24/13)

[coasterjan]

GAPearl - first, I want to thank you for the great and informative review. Hubby and I are getting on the Valor next weekend, and you answered so many of my questions! Thank you! I copy/pasted lots of it take with me. :-)

 

Second, I think you might have been our flight attendant last May when we were flying from Richmond to Orlando to go on our Liberty cruise. We were flying in first class and had the *best* service EVER, and I remember that our fantastic attendant was also a cruiser and participated on cruise critic. Do you remember meeting some folks that had gotten married on a roller coaster, and had recently re-created the ceremony for a Travel Channel shoot? I'll never forgot that flight - it has absolutely *ruined* me for flying in coach!! (I wish I had some more of those fantastic Pepperidge Farm cookies....)

 

:-)

 

Janis (Coaster Jan)

[gapearl]

GAPearl - first, I want to thank you for the great and informative review. Hubby and I are getting on the Valor next weekend, and you answered so many of my questions! Thank you! I copy/pasted lots of it take with me. :-)

 

Second, I think you might have been our flight attendant last May when we were flying from Richmond to Orlando to go on our Liberty cruise. We were flying in first class and had the *best* service EVER, and I remember that our fantastic attendant was also a cruiser and participated on cruise critic. Do you remember meeting some folks that had gotten married on a roller coaster, and had recently re-created the ceremony for a Travel Channel shoot? I'll never forgot that flight - it has absolutely *ruined* me for flying in coach!! (I wish I had some more of those fantastic Pepperidge Farm cookies....)

 

:-)

 

Janis (Coaster Jan)

 

OMG Yesssssssss I remember you! :D

 

I kept making a mental note to watch your special, but it was like 2 months after that flight and I eventually forgot. :rolleyes: If you have a link to it, I'd still love to see it though. Wow, that's so funny you recognized and remembered me! Maybe I'll bump into you again on a flight (or a cruise ;)) one of these days. :)

 

Have a great time on the Valor next week! :D

[Sinppu]

Thanks very much for your review. I found it as I was looking for info on San Juan and I'm glad I did! Our Jewel cruise has quite a similar itinerary and there were plenty of great tips for us.

 

Too bad we don't sail the same cruise line, having you for company would be awesome :cool:

[coasterjan]

OMG Yesssssssss I remember you! :D

 

I kept making a mental note to watch your special, but it was like 2 months after that flight and I eventually forgot. :rolleyes: If you have a link to it, I'd still love to see it though. Wow, that's so funny you recognized and remembered me! Maybe I'll bump into you again on a flight (or a cruise ;)) one of these days. :)

 

Have a great time on the Valor next week! :D

 

Travel Channel only ended up using at 10 seconds worth of our "ceremony", so you didn't miss much.

I found this on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8J9vuDNiM

 

Our part starts about the 12:50 mark. I'd be the nutcase wearing a wedding veil on a roller coaster! :-)

 

I'll never forget that flight with you (even though I have to admit I forgot your name...). You and the rest of your crew were *awesome*. We fly at least 2 or 3 times a year, so I hope we see you again sometime!

 

Janis

[gapearl]

Thanks very much for your review. I found it as I was looking for info on San Juan and I'm glad I did! Our Jewel cruise has quite a similar itinerary and there were plenty of great tips for us.

 

Too bad we don't sail the same cruise line, having you for company would be awesome :cool:

 

Yeah we would have fun! I remember reading your Navigator review when planning my cruise, and you stopped by to leave a few comments on mine. :) I'm always on the lookout for another cruise on both Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and even NCL too. I might be squeezing in a short Bahamas trip on the Enchantment with some friends later this year, and the Quantam is on my cruise bucket list. So we might bump into each other one day! :D

 

If you've never been to San Juan, you're going to love it. Coming all the way from Europe, I'm sure you'll have a few days to spend there before you sail. Have a great time! I'll have to remember to check out the RC boards to see if you post a review when you return.

 

Travel Channel only ended up using at 10 seconds worth of our "ceremony", so you didn't miss much.

I found this on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx8J9vuDNiM

 

Our part starts about the 12:50 mark. I'd be the nutcase wearing a wedding veil on a roller coaster! :-)

 

I'll never forget that flight with you (even though I have to admit I forgot your name...). You and the rest of your crew were *awesome*. We fly at least 2 or 3 times a year, so I hope we see you again sometime!

 

Janis

 

That was a cool video! How did you manage to keep on your veil without it flying off? Thanks for saying all those nice things. My name is Kim, btw, and I hope so too! :)

[Windinmahair]

Five days in San Juan is perfect, especially if it's your first visit. Make sure you have Barrachina's on your list. I worked a flight down to San Juan yesterday and told some cruisers about them and the flamenco show. They took my advice and called and booked a reservation as soon as we landed! I'm in San Juan now and got to pay another visit to El Escambron Beach today. Great beach for hanging with the locals and people watching. Have fun with the rest of your planning!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

 

 

Okay I am reading your review AGAIN! I don't know what I enjoy more...your personality or all the information to be found and the beautiful pics. :rolleyes: We will be sure to check out Barrachina's and El Escambron Beach. Thank you. We love to snorkel and we love to eat so a perfect fit. We have most of our excursions planned out now. What will I do for 7 more months? Oh I know! Since I am addicted to MindSnacks Spanish app I will learn Spanish. A neat coincidence is our room on the Valor is 9201 it was great to see all the pics you took of the room. :)

[Gil40]

Ok! Your awesome review convince me! I change my original cruise on the Dream and book the Valor for October! Can't wait! :)

 

Thank you for all the tips and great information!

[gapearl]

Okay I am reading your review AGAIN! I don't know what I enjoy more...your personality or all the information to be found and the beautiful pics. :rolleyes: We will be sure to check out Barrachina's and El Escambron Beach. Thank you. We love to snorkel and we love to eat so a perfect fit. We have most of our excursions planned out now. What will I do for 7 more months? Oh I know! Since I am addicted to MindSnacks Spanish app I will learn Spanish. A neat coincidence is our room on the Valor is 9201 it was great to see all the pics you took of the room. :)

 

LOL well thanks for reading AGAIN! Make sure you do Barrachina's on a Friday or Saturday night so you can see the free flamenco show. Oh, and I recently found out that the birthplace of the pina colada in fact IS The Caribe Hilton. Apparently, they have the patent for it. The guy who invented it worked there first, then took the recipe to Barrachina's a few years later and they claim it. Oh well, the battle of the pina colada. :rolleyes: Barrachina's pina coladas are still really good though. :D Have fun learning Spanish! I sure have. I'm going to download the Mind Snacks Portuguese app since I want to visit Brazil next year. There are a few other free Spanish apps you should download too. Enjoy that scenic ocean view, it's AWESOME!

 

Ok! Your awesome review convince me! I change my original cruise on the Dream and book the Valor for October! Can't wait! :)

 

Thank you for all the tips and great information!

 

Get outta here! Well you won't regret your decision! Have fun in October and have fun planning! :D

[coasterjan]

That was a cool video! How did you manage to keep on your veil without it flying off? Thanks for saying all those nice things. My name is Kim, btw, and I hope so too! :)

 

Actually, the first go-round, the veil flew off going down the first drop...! (OH NO! Wardrobe malfunction!!) A man sitting about 5 rows behind me caught it (with his face) and hung on to it till we got back to the station. For the next ride, the director wanted the veil on my head and Busch Gardens didn't want to let me wear it unless it was secured, so I told 'em to tack it down. They used one of those plastic zipties, and wrapped it around the headpiece (poked a hole in the veil) and then around my ponytail holder that was secured in my hair. It was a little uncomfortable, but the veil stayed on. :-)

Busch wouldn't let me have my bridal bouquet on the ride this time, but for our original wedding 12 years ago, they let me have it. I had taken the head off of every single silk flower and hot-glued it to the stem so it wouldn't blow apart. :-)

[cw6/3/13]

So the drinks are limited on the cheers program?

[gapearl]

Actually, the first go-round, the veil flew off going down the first drop...! (OH NO! Wardrobe malfunction!!) A man sitting about 5 rows behind me caught it (with his face) and hung on to it till we got back to the station. For the next ride, the director wanted the veil on my head and Busch Gardens didn't want to let me wear it unless it was secured, so I told 'em to tack it down. They used one of those plastic zipties, and wrapped it around the headpiece (poked a hole in the veil) and then around my ponytail holder that was secured in my hair. It was a little uncomfortable, but the veil stayed on. :-)

Busch wouldn't let me have my bridal bouquet on the ride this time, but for our original wedding 12 years ago, they let me have it. I had taken the head off of every single silk flower and hot-glued it to the stem so it wouldn't blow apart. :-)

 

Wow, that's a lot of work! Well at least the guy behind you caught it, and you looked beautiful! :) I don't think I'll be getting married on a roller coaster, though. :eek: LOL

 

So the drinks are limited on the cheers program?

 

No, it's not completely unlimited. You have a limit of 15 drinks per day. Many people here have said it's worth it, but a few have said it's not. I suppose everyone will have a different experience, though. You might want to total up about how much your drinks would cost without cheers to see if will be cost effective for you.

 

Welcome to cruise critic! :) Are you taking this cruise? If so, when?

[cw6/3/13]

I will be on the VALOR on 6/2/13. We are staying in Old san Juan the night before then set sail that Saturday. We also will be getting married at our first stop in Magens Bay!!! then back to the ship to celebrate!!! Plan on wearing my dres to dinner that night. It will only be my fiance' and I on the cruise so might as well celebrate with our fellow cruisers! :) We are trying to figure out how to keep the bar bill down on the ship considering we had to pay a nice penny for the wedding:) Any tips would be much appreciated! I enjoy reading your reviews!!!

[cw6/3/13]

I will be on the VALOR on 6/2/13. We are staying in Old san Juan the night before then set sail that Saturday. We also will be getting married at our first stop in Magens Bay!!! then back to the ship to celebrate!!! Plan on wearing my dres to dinner that night. It will only be my fiance' and I on the cruise so might as well celebrate with our fellow cruisers! :) We are trying to figure out how to keep the bar bill down on the ship considering we had to pay a nice penny for the wedding:) Any tips would be much appreciated! I enjoy reading your reviews!!!

[gapearl]

I will be on the VALOR on 6/2/13. We are staying in Old san Juan the night before then set sail that Saturday. We also will be getting married at our first stop in Magens Bay!!! then back to the ship to celebrate!!! Plan on wearing my dres to dinner that night. It will only be my fiance' and I on the cruise so might as well celebrate with our fellow cruisers! :) We are trying to figure out how to keep the bar bill down on the ship considering we had to pay a nice penny for the wedding:) Any tips would be much appreciated! I enjoy reading your reviews!!!

 

Congratulations on getting married! :) On my first Valor cruise, there was a couple on my roll call that got married at Magen's Bay. It was the perfect day for a wedding, so I'm sending good weather vibes your way. There will be no shortage of people to help you celebrate.

 

As far as keeping your bar bill down, there are a few things you can do. First, you each can bring on a bottle of wine per person, as well as a case of soda or water each. There's a CVS across the street where you can buy those. Once you check in and board the ship, take a backpack, debark the ship and head to the duty free store at the port entrance. Lots of bottles are buy 1, get 1 free. Put your purchase in your backpack- DON'T turn it in to the liquor collection table past security- and reboard the ship. If you're uncomfortable doing that, you can order through Bon Voyage in advance and your purchase will be waiting for you in your cabin.

 

http://www.carnival.com/FunShops/beverages

 

The cheers program would work for you if you're planning to drink more than about 7 drinks a day. I saw the guys at my dinner table have 4-5 drinks alone at dinner, so cheers definitely worked for them. If you bring on the 2 bottles of wine, plus 2-3 bottles of your favorite liquors from duty free, you likely won't need the cheers. Hope this helps!

[bunchesofun]

I will be on the VALOR on 6/2/13. We are staying in Old san Juan the night before then set sail that Saturday. We also will be getting married at our first stop in Magens Bay!!! then back to the ship to celebrate!!! Plan on wearing my dres to dinner that night. It will only be my fiance' and I on the cruise so might as well celebrate with our fellow cruisers! :) We are trying to figure out how to keep the bar bill down on the ship considering we had to pay a nice penny for the wedding:) Any tips would be much appreciated! I enjoy reading your reviews!!!

 

CW, haven't seen you around the roll call lately. We're planning on an informal meet and greet at the Prometheus Aft Pool at 7PM on embarkation day June 2nd. Wanted to be sure you knew about it. :)

[TinFrog]

Thanks so much for putting so much time and thought into this review! My boyfriend and I are sailing this itinerary on May 26 of this year and it's my first time ever on a cruise. I was nervous before, but now I'm SO EXCITED! We managed to get one of the smaller Scenic Ocean View cabins-- I can't wait to see the scenery out of that window.

 

I love your upbeat attitude, and I hope I can have the same on my own trip. I've been on too many vacations where people make themselves miserable because they refuse to see the possibilities around them.

[CRU1Z1N]

Your review is AMAZING!!! Thank you for introducing us to Da'House for our pre cruise/post cruise stay. We are going one day before the cruise and staying one day after. Can't believe we got a room in San Juan for $90.20 for each night!! We did pick a room above the party but we like having a good time, and with my DH Spanish roots, I know we'll love the music!

 

Again thank so much for your review! Planning on having a FANTASTIC time!

 

Take care and HAPPY CRU1ZIN!!!!

[gapearl]

CW, haven't seen you around the roll call lately. We're planning on an informal meet and greet at the Prometheus Aft Pool at 7PM on embarkation day June 2nd. Wanted to be sure you knew about it. :)

 

I hope they show up! Take good care of them! :)

 

Thanks so much for putting so much time and thought into this review! My boyfriend and I are sailing this itinerary on May 26 of this year and it's my first time ever on a cruise. I was nervous before, but now I'm SO EXCITED! We managed to get one of the smaller Scenic Ocean View cabins-- I can't wait to see the scenery out of that window.

 

I love your upbeat attitude, and I hope I can have the same on my own trip. I've been on too many vacations where people make themselves miserable because they refuse to see the possibilities around them.

 

Welcome to cruise critic, and welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! :D Both will become an addiction, just so you know. LOL You have nothing to be nervous about. Just go with the flow and have fun. Thanks for the nice words. Have a great trip and be sure to come back and tell us about it!

 

Your review is AMAZING!!! Thank you for introducing us to Da'House for our pre cruise/post cruise stay. We are going one day before the cruise and staying one day after. Can't believe we got a room in San Juan for $90.20 for each night!! We did pick a room above the party but we like having a good time, and with my DH Spanish roots, I know we'll love the music!

 

Again thank so much for your review! Planning on having a FANTASTIC time!

 

Take care and HAPPY CRU1ZIN!!!!

 

You're going to love Da House! It's right in the middle of everything and you can't beat the price. You'll love the music and dancing downstairs. Enjoy the Valor and have fun at all your awesome port stops! Happy CRU1ZIN to you too! :D

[Ladybug525]

Thank you sooo much Kim for such an awesome review!!! I started reading earlier today and though it took me several hours (though probably not nearly as long as it took you to write), I loved every minute of your review. You definitely should look into writing professionally!

 

My daughter and I are taking this same cruise in July so you gave us so many great tips. :)Thank you again!!!

[Scrappinbec]

Hi gapearl, I posted this as a regular thread and thought I would post here too. I am hoping you could answer this for me. Thanks!

 

For those recently off of the Valor (San Juan Itinerary)... Can shorts be worn in the dining room on the casual nights? I read on the carnival site that they say "dress shorts". Can any type of shorts be ok (as long as they aren't too short of course)? Our daughter is trying to figure out what kinds of clothes to pack and was wondering. We have been on other cruise lines recently and think we saw others wearing any type of shorts in the dining room, but we also know that each cruise line has their own "rules".

 

Any help would be great.

Thank you!

[darth frosty]

I was on the Valor back in Nov shorts were worn in the MDR.

 

Just remember NO SHORTS in the steak house!

Edited May 14, 2013 by darth frosty

[gapearl]

Thank you sooo much Kim for such an awesome review!!! I started reading earlier today and though it took me several hours (though probably not nearly as long as it took you to write), I loved every minute of your review. You definitely should look into writing professionally!

 

My daughter and I are taking this same cruise in July so you gave us so many great tips. :)Thank you again!!!

 

Thanks for reading! Yeah, it's pretty long. :o Took me about 2 weeks to finish it. I really do wish I could figure out a way to get paid to write these, or at the least get a free vacation out of it! :D I'm glad you got some good ideas for your cruise. Have fun when you sail in July!

 

Hi gapearl, I posted this as a regular thread and thought I would post here too. I am hoping you could answer this for me. Thanks!

 

For those recently off of the Valor (San Juan Itinerary)... Can shorts be worn in the dining room on the casual nights? I read on the carnival site that they say "dress shorts". Can any type of shorts be ok (as long as they aren't too short of course)? Our daughter is trying to figure out what kinds of clothes to pack and was wondering. We have been on other cruise lines recently and think we saw others wearing any type of shorts in the dining room, but we also know that each cruise line has their own "rules".

 

Any help would be great.

Thank you!

 

Yes, you can wear shorts in the MDR, just not on formal night.

 

I was on the Valor back in Nov shorts were worn in the MDR.

 

Just remember NO SHORTS in the steak house!

 

Yep, what he said!

[Scrappinbec]

Thanks for reading! Yeah, it's pretty long. :o Took me about 2 weeks to finish it. I really do wish I could figure out a way to get paid to write these, or at the least get a free vacation out of it! :D I'm glad you got some good ideas for your cruise. Have fun when you sail in July!

 

 

 

Yes, you can wear shorts in the MDR, just not on formal night.

 

 

 

Yep, what he said!

 

ok great, thank you! :-)

Edited May 15, 2013 by Scrappinbec

[spellczech710]

gapearl, Thanks so much for posting this review. I'm single but this will be my first solo cruise. I'll be sailing the Valor on 7/14/13. I was leery about doing a solo cruise but after reading your review I'm absolutely stoked to see what I can get myself into. I will be staying a few days after the cruise so I have gotten plenty ideas from your review on things to do.

[gapearl]

ok great, thank you! :-)

 

You're welcome! Again, enjoy your cruise! :)

 

gapearl, Thanks so much for posting this review. I'm single but this will be my first solo cruise. I'll be sailing the Valor on 7/14/13. I was leery about doing a solo cruise but after reading your review I'm absolutely stoked to see what I can get myself into. I will be staying a few days after the cruise so I have gotten plenty ideas from your review on things to do.

 

Waving to you across town! :cool: You'll see you can have a great time on a solo cruise. You do what you want, when you want. There are always plenty of activities going on and lots to see and do. If you have assigned dining (not any time dining), you will likely be seated with other solo cruisers. The ports are great, so I hope you have some good excursions planned. I hope you have a great cruise and be sure to bring a review back! :D